Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian. Show all posts

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Water Bill can shut Sepulchre in Jerusalem

Pilgrims take Sepulchre in Jerusalem closer look. The church, which is considered the holiest in Christendom, may close its doors because of unpaid water bills.Photo: BAZ Ratner / Reuters





The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem may shut the doors for pilgrims in protest against an Israeli water company.

Church, also known as Resurrection Church, is built over the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified and is considered the holiest in Christianity.

The church had their bank account blocked at the request of the water company Hagihon, who believes that the church owes $ 2.3 million in unpaid bills, according to BBC. The amount corresponds to more than 13 million.

It has been a tradition that burial church does not pay for water, but Hagihon now claims that the church owes money for water consumption over the past 15 years.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theofilos III demonstrated by letter to the Israeli Prime Minister and President. -If nothing happens, we will for the first time in hundreds of years to announce that the Holy Sepulchre KRIK is closed, he told the newspaper Maariv.

The other Christian approaches which together with the Greek Orthodox Church Burial Church supports driver allegedly patriarch. The dispute has led to hundreds of priests, monks and teachers have not been paid. In addition, blocking of bank account also resulted in church internet access, telephone lines and electricity have been cut.
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Sunday, September 30, 2012

How to Hear From God

Most people tend to live on the shallow surface where our physical senses, thoughts, feelings, desires, and emotions are constantly being stimulated by worldly, carnal, fleshly ways. Because of this, we are not able to hear from God and be led by His Spirit, leaving ourselves wide open to fall for the many deceptions of the devil. We want to hear from God so that we may be led to pursue the right things. Unfortunately, there are always four voices in every ones head at any given time; God's voice, the devil's voice, other people's voices, and the voice of our own flesh. So, how are we to be sure to hear from God with all the noise going on? It really is very simple. If we want to hear from God, we need to shut up the other three. So, how do we do that? The first step is to distinguish each voice so that we know what we are up against. 1. The most obvious voice is our own and it speaks to us in a variety of ways. It is always telling us what we want, what we think, and what we feel. The Bible refers to our mind, will, and emotions as our 'flesh nature.' 2. Another voice that clamors for our attention is the voice of other people. They are usually telling us what they want, what they think, and what they feel. 3.The third voice is the voice of the devil. He is very subtle and speaks to us through worldly ideas and viewpoints that he has injected into other people. 4. The fourth voice is the voice of God and He speaks to us in our spirits. He does not speak to us in our minds. Unfortunately, that's where most of us spend most of our thought life. Again, the Bible refers to this as 'the mind of the flesh' (Romans 8:7, AMP). These are the four voices that we constantly hear and which voice we obey is based on our ability to discern. Obviously, we want to obey the voice of God if we are going to enjoy a successful life because the Bible tells us that we must be led by the Holy Spirit. So, how do we hear from God and be led by His Spirit? Again, by quieting the other three loud voices screaming for our attention. When we can find some peace and quiet we will be able to hear that one still, small voice, which is the Holy Spirit of God, wanting to lead us in the way we should go. How then do we quiet these other voices and find some peace and quiet? First of all, the devil is easy to shut up. Psalm 22:3 says, 'But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.' Satan will have to flee when we begin praising God because the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. The devil is not gonna stick around while you shout 'Hallelujah' to the Lord. Just shout out your praise to God. Praise Him for who He is, praise Him for what He has done, praise Him for His promises, and praise Him because He deserves it. As you are praising God, you will not hear from the devil. Other people's voices are also easy to shut up. All we have to do is get away from them. I realize their tapes continue to play in our heads, but if we can get alone somewhere and just focus on God, those tapes will stop, at least temporarily. Our flesh is the more difficult to control because it never can get enough and is never satisfied. It is also the most difficult to control because it is extremely self-centered. Even still, Jesus said, 'Deny yourself and follow me' (Mark 8:34). Your flesh doesn't want to follow Jesus. That would mean having to give up many things. It doesn't matter. We are to crucify the flesh (Galatians 2:20). It's just a decision. When you quiet the evil triplets, the devil, other people's flesh, and your own flesh, it will be much easier to hear from God. Now, that does not mean you will hear an audible voice, although you may, but not likely. God speaks in many different ways. Jesus said, 'My sheep hear my voice and they follow me' (John 10:27). Clearly, before we can know God's voice, we must be like sheep. What are sheep? Only the dumbest animals on the face of the earth. We must become like dumb animals, knowing nothing (in and of ourselves), being completely dependant upon God. This goes back to crucifying the flesh. When we hear from God it can be something from His written Word (logos), or it could be His audible voice (rhema). We can also get His rhema Word spoken through a friend. Or, it can be nature, convictions, open and shut doors of opportunity, and the most likely, internal peace. One way you will not hear from God is through your emotions. Emotions are dangerous ground because they are never consistent. They're up one minute and down the next. You can't make important decisions based on something so erratic. Many times, you will not get a definite answer on something specific. The Bible tells us that we are to live our lives by faith. We are to step out and try things that we feel God is leading us to do. Maybe this will work, maybe that will work. We just have to step out see. 'In the morning sow your seed; For you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good' (Ecc 6:11). One thing is for sure, 'The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord' (Psalm 37:23). Trust God for direction as you take steps of faith toward what you feel He is calling you to. It won't be long until you know for sure whether it was really Him or not.

About Author: Daniel N. Brown is a teacher of biblical success principles. Get his FREE report Christian Prosperity Secrets when you sign up for his FREE weekly newsletter... http://www.http://www.SecretPlaceOnline.com

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Calculating Easter Day

The Resurrection of Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection)
The Resurrection of Christ (Kinnaird Resurrection) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The word "Easter" derives from the Latin Pascha and corresponds to the Hebrew Pesach, which means Step.
Solemnity of the Christian Church in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox, the applicant between March 22 and April 25, initially was celebrated every Sunday, the anniversary should be at the Council of Nicaea in the second century AD, which also established to set this party on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
For Christianity is the first and fundamental feast of the liturgical year, for Christ is the "transition" from earthly life, through suffering, the eternal life for Christians is the "transition" from sin to new life in Christ, through baptism.
The Easter celebrations that have their culmination in the Paschal Triduum on Thursday, Friday and Holy Saturday, and especially in the Easter Vigil and Easter Day, are prepared from Lent.
The joy of Easter continues for seven weeks, "as a day of celebration and joy" and ends with Pentecost.
The mathematical calculation of the date is very complex and difficult because you should know: the letter Sunday, the epact (the age of the moon on the 1st January of the year you want to calculate) the Roman indiction, the solar cycle, the number aureus (position within the loop of the methodical latter meaning a period of 19 years by superimposing the solar cycle).
The complexity of these calculations can be overcome by a simple formula due to the mathematician, astronomer, physicist and surveyor German Karl Friedrich Gauss, which is still used:
Let A be the year for which you want to calculate Easter, M and N are the values ​​referred to below should indicate multiplication table and the remains of the following divisions:
A: 19 with "a"
A: 4 with "b"
A: 7 with "c"
(19 x "to" M +): 30 with "d"
(2 x "b" + 4 x "C" +6 x "d" + N): 7 with "and"
for the years ..... ..... N M is worth
1700-1799 ........ 23 ......... 3
1800-1899 ........ 23 ......... 4
1900-2099 ........ 24 ......... 5
2100-2199 ........ 24 ......... 6
Then Easter will fall on the day (22 + "d" + "and") in March, or, if the resulting figure exceeds 31, the date ("d" + "and" - 9) in April, where 22:09 is two fixed numbers.
In the rich theme of Easter customs appears the tradition of eating the lamb, the Jewish Passover meal recalls the memory of the exodus from Egypt by the "passing" of the Red Sea, the "step" that is, freedom from slavery in Egypt ; to celebrate the renewal Moses commanded the people to sacrifice a lamb, all white, tingerne the doors with the blood, roast it and eat it with unleavened bread, on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month of spring, for the Jews, then eat the 'Lamb recalls the sacrifice offered to the God of Israel before leaving Egypt, for a Christian is "the Lamb of God," the lamb of Christ, the innocent victim and immaculate.
The eggs blessed reminder that in times past were forbidden during Lent and then reappear on the table along with the kid, lamb, salami with the meaning that the time of penance and fasting was over, were brought to be blessed before being donated as a symbol of hope, abundance and new life.
Around the fifteenth century were served for lunch boiled eggs painted by hand and spread in many European countries the tradition of starting breakfast with an omelette made ​​with eggs laid by hens on Good Friday.
In the sixteenth century began the custom of hiding the eggs with a surprise and the importation of cocoa from Mexico entered the surprise egg chocolate.
The tradition of Easter dove, which is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, should not appear on the table at Easter, Pentecost, but because it wants to commemorate the peace between God and men returned after the flood, in fact it was a dove to return Ark with an olive branch in its beak.
A popular tradition of the evening of Holy Saturday is the one that is still followed in Florence, during the rites of the Resurrection and a dove (now no longer alive but artificial) is started from the main altar with a small rocket on a wire and sliding it set fire to a cart it all meant to symbolize the purity of the soul and purifying power of fire is always present in the ancient rites of Christianity but, very often, replaced it with holy water

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